What is Glencore’s new role at the Wilhelmshaven refinery, and how does it differ from the previous operator?

Glencore has taken over the processing contract for Germany’s Wilhelmshaven oil refinery from commodities trader Hartree, agreeing to supply crude oil to the facility and sell its refined fuels under a tolling arrangement with owner HES International. This marks a strategic shift from Hartree’s prior role and expands Glencore’s integrated presence in European fuel markets, following its recent acquisition of a majority stake in Dutch fuel supplier FincoEnergies.

What is the current operational status and capacity of the Wilhelmshaven refinery, and what fuels does it produce?

The Wilhelmshaven refinery—located at HES International’s tank terminal on Germany’s northwestern coast—is partly operational, having restarted an 87,000 bpd vacuum distillation unit (VDU) in 2019 to produce low-sulphur marine fuels; it also has a 16,000 bpd hydrotreating unit for sulphur removal. Though originally capable of 260,000 bpd before mothballing, it has run at reduced rates recently, importing ~34,000 bpd of crude (mostly Chadian Doba) between 2023–2025 and exporting only ~5,000 bpd of fuels (mainly fuel oil and gasoil) in 2025, down sharply from 32,000 bpd across 2023–2025.

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